Sports Have a story idea? Contact us at sports @theotherpress.ca @ Throwing tt all away; Did the ‘Skins give up too much? By Eric Wilkins, Staff Writer hree first-round draft picks | and a second-rounder for one first-round pick. Sounds crazy doesn’t it? It looks like the kind of trade only a concussed athlete who only had a two-digit IQ to begin with would make, right? Let me try and clear it up a bit. The lone first-rounder allows the team that traded for it to move up a whole four spots in the draft. Still confused? Understandable. The pick will give the team that acquired it the right to draft a freakishly talented athlete who they will pay millions of dollars to quarterback their team. Better? Oh, and this athlete has no professional experience. Completely lost? Welcome to the workings of the NFL draft. As one can see, there is no perceivable rhyme or reason to drafting. College athletes are unproven commodities. Hit or miss. Yet certain players will be paid like stars, and be expected to play the role of saviour before they have even taken a snap. Realistic? Not really. Real? You can count on it. The athlete for whom this team (the Redskins) has mortgaged its future for is Robert Griffin III, the mesmerizingly fast QB out of Baylor. But have they overpaid? Barring future trades, the Redskins won't have a pick in the first round for the next two drafts, which is a difficult situation to live with, seeing as they aren’t exactly Super Bowl contenders as it is. Teams build through the draft. It’s near impossible to make a decent team out of budget free agents. Then again, what’s a team without a quarterback? Lightning isn’t going to strike Rex Grossman again, especially since no one can figure out how it happened the first time, and John Beck is about as remarkable as a wind sock in a greenhouse. The move may be necessary, but it’s certainly a gamble. Should Griffin fail (think Akili Smith/ Vince Young) the team will be in a massive hole. Also, even if Griffin is as advertised, what is there around him? Outside of a talented tight end who has had some drug troubles, the offence is comprised of two fringe number one wide receivers and a suspect backfield. Brilliant. Let’s have a look back at a very similar situation in 1998, which I remember so very clearly because I was an all-star analyst at the time, at the tender age of five. Peyton Manning and Ryan Leaf were the stud QB’s that year, and it was the general consensus that any team would be happy to get its hands on either of them. We all know what happened at the top; the Colts took Peyton Manning. But does anyone recall who was picking at number two? Nope, not the Chargers, but the Cardinals. The Chargers traded two first-rounders, a second- rounder, and Pro Bowler Eric Metcalf to move up, wait for it, one spot. With this pick, the Chargers took Ryan Leaf and the rest is history. San Diego would plunge into the dark years while Mr. Leaf cashed his cheques for doing his best impression of a mole on a concrete floor—completely helpless. Useless. It would be sometime before the Chargers ever recovered from their ill-advised gamble, and it | @ Robert Griffin Ill wasn’t long before Leaf didn’t show up in an NFL uniform come fall and wilted away. There can be a happy ending to this story for the Redskins, but for the time being, ticket sales and the Rams are the only ones who truly look to be benefitting from this deal. By Josh Martin, Sports Editor Vancouver Canucks are in a bit of a slump, winning only three of their past nine games in which they have been outscored 29-22. Goaltender Roberto Luongo has only one win in six starts of those past nine games, posting an average of a terrible .843 save percentage and an embarrassing 3.17 goals against average. All [ is safe to say that the 18 r Schneider is the key to success the while backup goalie Cory Schneider, in three starts of those nine games (not to mention a fourth game against the Buffalo Sabres where he relieved Luongo of his duties within seven minutes into the first period) has a whopping .942 save percentage and a sparkling 1.75 GAA, despite winning two of four bouts. Now, it doesn’t exactly take a scientific genius to figure out who is hot and who is not in this particular situation between the two goaltenders. The numbers tell the tale. However, with all of that into consideration the Canucks organization still have faith in their number one guy, even though he has posted up some not-so-impressive number one numbers. Which brings up the question, why not give the hot goaltender the starts? We’ve all seen coach Alain Vigneault pull the trigger earlier in the season when Schneids’ was on fire, starting five games and winning them all ina row back in November, so why not try it again? After all, the Canucks are in desperate need of some wins, even if they’ve solidified a playoff spot as the Northwest Division leaders in the Western Conference. They still need to enter the playoffs, which are only “Luongo has a 27-14-7 record with a .917 SV% and a 2.48 GAA, which by all means are solid numbers on the season, but if the Canucks want to make any sort of push for the big prize than just solid numbers aren't going to cut it.” 11 games away mind you, as a solidified powerhouse team that is a sure Stanley Cup contender. With Luongo locked away for another decade in this organization, it is evident that come post post-season Schneider will be playing on another NHL team as a well deserved starter. He will be gone and the Canucks will be left with Luongo and either an off-season pick up of a second string goalie or prospect Eddie Lack to fill the void next season. So knowing that our secret weapon, our prized gold trophy, our unsung hero, will no matter what be gone by next year, doesn’t it make sense to get the most use out of if him while we still can? In 27 games played, he has a 16-6-1 record, a third best in the league .932 SV% among goaltenders and a seventh best 2.12 GAA. Now, read that last sentence once more but slowly. Luongo has a 27-14-7 record with a .917 SV% and a2.48 GAA, which by all means are solid numbers on the season, but if the Canucks want to make any sort of push for the big prize than just solid numbers aren’t going to cut it. The Canucks arguably have a Stanley Cup contending team within their lineup—key word: within. And with Luongo not going anywhere for years to come, he will get many more chances to win over the passionate and yet complete band wagon fans of Vancouver. But right now, Schneider is the better goaltender, it’s that simple. Let’s not take him for granted.